Growing Up

Abraham Lincoln came from humble beginnings. He was born in a single room log cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His parents were Thomas and Nancy Hanks Lincoln. His father lost everything when Abraham was young and they had to move to Perry County, Indiana where they struggled to get by. When he was just nine years old, his mother died and his sister Sarah took care of him until his father remarried.Abraham had very little formal education, but had a strong interest in books and learning. Most of what he learned was self educated and from books he borrowed. His family later moved to Illinois where Lincoln would set out on his own.As a young man, Lincoln worked a variety of jobs including shopkeeper, surveyor, and postmaster. For a time, he even split firewood with an axe for a living. He soon moved into politics and won a seat in the Illinois Legislature when he was 25.